288 



Garden and Forest. 



[June ii, 1890. 



pretty plant in (lower. Its loose spikes of pale blue and pur- 

 ple flowers of various shades are often more than a foot in 

 length by an inch and a half thick, on stems long enough for 

 cutting. It is very common in some localities, growing 

 luxuriantly in the poorest sandy soil — a desirable perennial a 

 foot and a half high. 



The little Star Grass {Hypoxis erecta) makes a pretty border 

 plant, and grows much stronger in cultivation. Its narrow 

 leaves are a third taller than its flowering stems. The numer- 

 ous bright yellow flowers are three-fourths of an inch wide. 

 It will grow in shade or sun, and is perfectly hardy. 



Cynthia Virginica, a plant of the Dandelion family, is a foot 

 and a half high, bearing on long, almost naked stems, two to 

 five yellow flowers an inch wide, which closely resemble those 

 of small Dandelions. They open in the warmest part of the 

 day and close at night. The most of its leaves are at the base 

 of the plant. It is found on moist banks in New York 'State 

 and westward. It is easily cultivated, and may be grown in a 

 thin shade or open sunlight. 



Claytonia parviflora, though of the same genus as the Spring 

 Beauties, is an Oregon species and flowers much later. In- 

 deed, both of our species (C. Virginica and C. Caroliniana) 

 havfc usually nearly died down before this begins to flower. 

 Its flowers, however, much resemble those of its eastern 

 relatives, but are a trifle paler.and are more numerous, on longer 

 stems, and come from a tufted root, while ours are both from 

 small tubers. It is a hardy plant, forming dense beds, and 

 when in full bloom displays almost a solid mass of pale pink 

 flowers. It needs a thin shade. 



Baptisia leucophcea (False Indigo) is an interesting plant of 

 the Pulse family. Its height is about a foot, and its divergent 

 branches make it broader than it is tall. Its long drooping 

 racemes of cream-colored flowers are very pretty. These 

 racemes are often a foot in length, and each flower raised on 

 a long pedicel is itself nearly an inch in length. It is a native of 

 the western states, and should have a light soil in open sunlight. 



Geranium maculatum (Wild Crane's-bill) and G. Robertianum 

 (Herb Robert), two common eastern species, are in flower. 

 The former is a much taller plant, with light purple flowers 

 three-fourths of an inch wide, quite pretty, but not very dura- 

 ble, on ample stems for cutting. The latter is a strong- 

 scented plant, scarcely half as high, with smaller red-purple 

 flowers, which appear from the last of May until the middle of 

 autumn. It is a pretty plant for rockeries. Both species like 

 shade. 



Geranium incisum, from Oregon, is also a pretty species, 

 with rose-purple flowers, with darker stripes, an inch wide. 

 The plant is usually about a foot high, is hardy, and well worth 

 growing. 

 Southwidi, Mass. F. H. Horsford. 



Hardy Plants for Cut Flowers. 



THE Japan Anemones are usually classed among hardy 

 *■ perennials, though they are not reliably hardy in all sec- 

 tions. Even when covered in the open ground the strong 

 flowering buds often get killed during severe winters, and by 

 far the best plan is to lift the roots after the foliage has been 

 killed by frost, and place them in boxes of soil in a cool cellar 

 until spring, when they may be replanted in well-enriched soil. 

 During dry weather the plants should be abundantly supplied 

 with water, and they will be very different from the specimens 

 of this queen of autumn blooming plants which are too often 

 seen in our gardens. The type is the earliest to flower, and 

 has bright, rose colored, semi-double flowers, which are very 

 bright and pleasing, but the habit of the plant is poor in com- 

 parison to the pure white form known as Honorine Joubert, 

 which is the best and most useful. The variety hybrida has 

 pink flowers, and the three make a very interesting group for 

 the Mower border, and if a plant or two of Aconitum autumnale 

 be planted with the Anemones it will give a beautiful dark 

 panicle of flowers at the same time, and a group of these 

 plants will be sure to attract attention in September and Octo- 

 ber. When lifting the Anemones, if it is desired to increase 

 the stock (and one feels that it is hardly possible to have too 

 much), the smaller Mbaxms roots may be carefully lifted and 

 potted up, and if kept in a greenhouse during winter and 

 grown on they will flower well the next fall. 



During a favorable season the Aconitum ripens seed in fall, 

 and this germinates readily if sown as soon as gathered, in 

 striking contrast to imported seed of this genus. A collection 

 of seventeen kinds of these foreign seeds was sown at the same 

 time last fall, but not one of the seeds germinated. It should 

 be remarked that Aconitum autumnale is perfectly hardy, and 

 is better without protection, as this induces it to grow early in 

 spring, when late frosts are still prevalent. 



The Sunflowers are a beautiful genus, and nearly all the 

 perennials are late summer blooming plants. Helianthus- 

 multijlorus is the one most common in gardens, especially 

 the double variety ; it only needs liberal treatment to bring 

 an abundance of useful flowers in fall. It must be admitted 

 that, though often called hardy, this is not absolutely true, and 

 it is best to lift an old root and place in the cellar with the 

 Tritomas, Anemones, Gladiolus, Dahlias, and such plants, that 

 are indispensable, though tender. H. angustifolius is an ele- 

 gantspecies, growingaboutfourfeethigh, with much-branched 

 Mower-stems and deep green, shining leaves, and produces an 

 abundance of flowers similar to those of Coreopsis and quite 

 as useful for cutting. A colony of this plant is admirable in 

 any place where it may be planted and left alone to take care 

 of itself, as it seeds freely and soon becomes naturalized, and 

 though old plants are liable to perish in winter the young 

 ones are ready to take their places. H. orgyalis and H. Maxi- 

 miliani are two species that flower late, grow tall, have grace- 

 ful foliage, and may be used for cutting when few other 

 flowers except Asters are to be found. They are both strong 

 growers and need plenty of rich material to feed on, and this 

 may be applied to the best advantage if the plants are lifted 

 early in spring and replanted at once. This little trouble will 

 be amply repaid by the vigorous growth the plants make, es- 

 pecially as the foliage is so pretty all the summer as a back- 

 ground to other plants that they are worth growing for this alone. 



It is scarcely necessary to say anything about Coreopsis lan- 

 ceolata except, perhaps, that it is the best hardy yellow Com- 

 posite grown, and no one with a garden can afford to be with- 

 out it, and, indeed, never will if it is once planted; for it seeds 

 so freely and the birds are so fond of the ripe seed that wherever 

 the Coreopsis is grown it is sure to become naturalized, as we 

 have often seen it among long grass, in Melds, near gardens 

 where plants were growing. Last summer we attempted to 

 gather seed, but the birds captured the lion's share in spite of 

 all precautions. Coreopsis tripteris should have been classed 

 with Helianthus orgyalis, it grows so tall. It has graceful foliage, 

 and very fragrant flowers, which smell like the English Wall- 

 flower, and they are acceptable for house decoration in the lat- 

 ter part of September. 



Reading, Mass. E. O. Orpet. 



Papaver lsevigatum. — Another season's trial of this variety 

 confirms the favorable impression formed on its introduction 

 last year. It is now profusely in bloom on some self-sown 

 seedlings. The Mowers are cupped, some fourinches in diam- 

 eter and of a very deep rich crimson, or, perhaps, blood-red, 

 with black blotches on each petal ; and it is with some satis- 

 faction to be noted that they hold their own against the Maunt- 

 ing Oriental Poppies. The latter, with their beautiful Acan- 

 thus-like foliage and noble Mowers, are among the best of 

 herbaceous plants, but the vivid orange-scarlet Mowers fairly 

 overpower most other blooms in a garden, and care is neces- 

 sary in planting them, so that they are far removed from any 

 blue-reds especially, as the contrast is hideous. The new rose 

 colored form will be valuable, as it might be planted in posi- 

 tions where the type would be inadmissible. Nature has 

 favored us with entirely too many "blue-reds," as a collector 

 of hardy plants discovers, especially among Phloxes, Paeonies, 

 Aubrietias, Pyrethrums and Primulas, and great care should be 

 exercised in planting these in a general collection where the 

 orange-reds are in the same Meld of vision. Colors appear so 

 differently to various observers that it is difficult to say which 

 may not be pleasing to the average grower, but it would seem 

 that the washed-out blue-reds might be banished from every 

 garden. The deeper color, the rosy purple of the Morists, is, 

 perhaps, more admissible, but not satisfactory to every one. 



Ornithogalum Arabicum is an old inhabitant of gardens, but 

 until lately it has been comparatively little grown. It is often 

 called Star of Bethlehem, although this name is properly ap- 

 plied to O. umbellatum. The Mowers now in bloom in the open 

 are very attractive, forming clusters of a dozen on long pedun- 

 cles. Separately, they are about two inches in diameter, pure 

 white, with a curious black ball-like eye. The bulbs, which may 

 be secured in the fall, are not quite hardy with me, but, potted 

 up, are kept in the cold frame and plunged in the open on the 

 approach of warm weather. The bulbs have been sold largely 

 for forcing, but, judging from some results seen, they do not 

 seem reliable f orthat purpose. 0. nutans is a somewhat striking 

 contrast to above, being hardy and proliMc of increase. The Mow- 

 ers of this variety are green, striped white, star-shaped, and 

 bloom in a loose raceme. It comes very rapidly into bloom in 

 the first warm days of April, and the Mowers are rather fugacious, 

 opening Mrst on the lower part of the scape. It is a native of 

 southern Europe, and has lately been found in Asia Minor. 



